Welcome Home, Little Pup
by Cat Steven
Summary: Steven finds an abandoned puppy on the side of the road.
1. Abandoned Animal

**Author's Notes**

Present

 ** _Flashback_**

 _Dream, Thoughts or Italic letters_

 **Welcome to chapter one of "Welcome Home, Little Pup". There will be a new story coming soon about Steven growing up** **.** **I hope you enjoy** **J**

Chapter One: Abandoned Animal

Steven was walking down the road, while feeling upset. He felt upset because the Big Donut closed and he planned to get a donut but was too late. "Maybe the Gems got one for me," he said quietly. He passed the road and heard a HUGE YELP. "What in the world was that?" he asked himself, walking closer to the sound. It sounded like a small animal, calling for help. _If it's an animal, I'd better go help it._ Maybe it was Onion, playing a prank again. Maybe not.

He saw a puppy crouched in a ball on the floor. Steven's stomach fell and he lost his appetite immediately. The puppy was whining while licking a gash on its paw. It was a huge gash at that. Steven started crying. Why was the puppy in so much pain?! Steven checked his pockets for any snacks or food. He found some leftover CHAAAAAAPS. He fed the dog a few. It ate the chips hungrily, licking its lips. The dog looked terrible. It seemed to be starved, and it had chunks of fur missing. It smelled like when Lion had eaten out of the Fish Stew Pizza garbage can, and it had random gashes. Steven picked it up. The poor thing needed a home. He ran to the car wash, to find an exhausted Greg drinking some coffee.

"Hey, Schtoo-ball," he said, handing a donut to Steven. Steven declined politely, and showed him the poor puppy. It was yelping, looking terribly sick and ill. "OH MY GOSH," Greg said, spitting out coffee. "WE'RE GOING TO THE VET, NOW." He took his cage he originally had in storage and put the puppy in there. He put a water bowl and a whole steak in there as well to give the puppy some dinner. It gnawed hungrily, chewing off every corner and whimpering as it ate. He put it next to Steven in the van, and they drove to the vet.

As they were driving home, Steven shivered terribly. He felt really bad as the puppy pawed at the newspapers Greg added in when the puppy had an accident in the van (they let her out of the cage for a little bit). She seemed to blush, because she looked embarrassed. Steven had no idea why. It wasn't like she did anything to be embarrassed. But then Steven saw her trying to get out of the cage. _Sudden realization: she wants to get on my lap._ Steven let the puppy crawl into his lap. _What should I name her? ALEXANDRITE. SHE SHOULD BE ALEXANDRITE._ "Alexandrite," Steven said. "C'mere, Alexandrite," he said. The puppy looked surprised but crawled next to him instead.

The poor thing was exhausted. Steven felt really bad for her. Even though she looked healthier now, she might still be hungry. Greg was kind enough to give her a pizza slice. As she gnawed through the crust, Greg and his son laughed heartily while Alexandrite growled and yipped, eating all the way.

 ** _"_** ** _Aww, she's so hungry!" Steven said as they headed into the diner. Alexandrite whined and yipped when she heard the word "hungry". She smelled the scent of garlic bread, oozing and melting cheese, spicy meat, such as sausage or pepperoni, and marinara sauce. She barked, clawing at the towel Steven gave her. "Play with the towel, please," he said. Alexandrite cocked her head sideways and continued playing with the cloth._**

 ** _Greg came back with a box of pizza. "Let's eat in the van," he said. They left the diner, and went back to the trusty van. Steven wasn't hungry, so he pretended to eat a few slices but slid them into Alexandrite's cage instead. "Wow," Steven whispered as she ate. Greg saw her eating (from that mirror drivers use to peer into the back seat) and laughed heartily. Steven joined as well. Even Alexandrite seemed to be laughing as Greg drove home (he finished dinner)._**

Steven gave her a honey bun he found in his jacket pocket (still nice and fresh!) and slid it into the puppy's cage. It was surprising how she woke up immediately and ate it, but then she looked well fed and ready for anything. Steven smiled. But then….he got reminded of something. _Alexandrite. The gems. THE CRYSTAL GEMS!_ He looked a bit worried. Pearl would probably most likely _not_ let him keep that. Amethyst would like it if the puppy made a mess in the place. Garnet would probably let him keep it, though. "Alright, Steven," Greg said when they arrived back at the carwash. "I'll drop the dog's supplies off at the temple later. You can go on ahead — I'll drop off the dog, too." He laughed. Steven ran to the temple. He knocked on the door.

Pearl answered. "Hello, Steven," she said. "Good evening. Did you have a good day with Greg?" "Yes!" Steven replied. Pearl stepped out of the way so he could come inside. "Hey, little man," Amethyst said, smiling all the way. "Hello, Steven," Garnet said. Even though she tried not to use future vision, Sapphire inside of Garnet had used it and told Ruby Steven was going to surprise them. They promised each other not to spoil it. "Keep that promise," Sapphire told Ruby inside of Garnet. "Don't worry, I will," Ruby said. Sapphire kissed Ruby. Garnet had a slight blush on her cheeks. Amethyst and Pearl looked confused, but they decided not to question. Now was probably not the best time, anyway.

"Oh, how are you guys doing?" Steven asked. They simply said "Good, thank you for asking," and Steven replied, "You're welcome!". Now he simply had to plan how to surprise them with the puppy. He grabbed some papers to start jotting down some ideas, but then he smiled and shook his head.

They will love this surprise.

 **I hope you guys enjoyed the first chapter of "Welcome Home, Little Pup". I had felt joy as I wrote about the puppy having fun with Greg and Steven. Imagine how much fun Alexandrite will have with the Crystal Gems :D**

 **Stay tuned for chapter two coming soon!**


	2. Puppy Surprise

**Hello guys, and welcome to Chapter Two of "Welcome Home, Little Pup". There will be another story called "Centipeetle and Friends". It's not a rip off of "Friends" or "Seinfield and Friends", it's just a story of Centipeetle being fully healed. I haven't published a chapter yet but here's a summary: Centipeetle/Jade gets healed and goes on adventures with the Crystal Gems. So yeah, there will be a lot of stories on my account and I love being active so I will try to be active every day. I might even do a Truth or Dare with the SU characters :D. I could do crossover episodes Truth or Dare. Anyways, sorry for the long note. I just have a lot to say about me being on here. I should've mentioned this in the first chapter, but, meh. Thank you so much for the kind reviews…thank you so much…I will put your usernames at the end of the chapter ^/3/^ Anyways, onto the story ~.**

Chapter Two: Puppy Surprise

Steven was so excited he screamed with joy. The puppy and it's supplies would arrive any minute! It was such an amazing feeling, the feeling of surprising your very own family with a new puppy friend. Steven could barely contain his excitement. He decided to open CHEEPER, an app where you could CHEEP things. It was such an amazing app. He logged onto his account and CHEEP'D on Peridot's account. He CHEEP'D: _You and Lapis need to come to the Temple now._ In five minutes he got a response: _Ok. Don't bring any clods over! We'll be over in two minutes._ Steven turned off his phone and two minutes later, he heard a knock. He answered the door and saw Lapis Lazuli with Peridot behind her. "Come on in," Steven said. He welcomed the gems in his home. The gems chilling on the couch waved and quietly said hello.

Lapis smiled cheerfully. "Hello, Steven," she said. She carefully went in, so she wouldn't trip over Steven. Next, Peridot smiled. It was a huge, bright grin. "Hello, Steven!" she said, carefully walking in so she didn't drop her tablet. "I hope you guys are ready to party!" Steven said, laughing. He put on a radio and was about to blast a favorite song but then he spun around. DING-DONG. It was puppy time! Greg had arrived!

Steven answered the door. In ran an eager puppy. "Alexandrite!" he said, screaming with joy. He laughed as the puppy treated his face like a human lollipop. "What?" Amethyst said. "We aren't even fusing right now!" "Yes," Pearl said. "We aren't fused, Steven. Why are you addressing us by that name?" "Um, it's the puppy's name," Steven said, blushing a bit. "What a cute name," Garnet said, patting Steven's poofy hair. He blushed a bit more, laughing.

Lapis and Peridot looked a bit confused. Peridot cocked her head a little bit. "That looks similar to that 'cat' you showed me," she said, giggling. "What is that?" Lapis asked, trying to sound polite. She knew it seemed a little more polite to ask "What are you?" in references to gems, but it is less polite in human culture. Sort of. It didn't make sense to her at all. Peridot couldn't identify the icky, transparent thick goop coming out of its mouth. "It's a dog," Steven answered, huge smile and all. "What's that icky substance coming out of its mouth?" Peridot asked, pointing. "Umm…" Steven said, trying not to blush. "Spit, drool, saliva — whatever you want to call it." He smiled, feeling a bit weird.

"Okay," Peridot and Lapis replied. Lapis gave a thumbs up, while Peridot gave a half-thumbs up. She decided to CHEEP about this strange, new creature named Alexandrite. _What is a dog?_ She CHEEP'D. She got lots of replies in seconds, and reading them, she said "Oh…". Steven smiled. "I'm going to help Dad unpack his stuff. You can go ahead and play with Alexandrite…" he headed to the van.

Garnet didn't know how to react, but she'd let him keep it, of course. She already let him keep a huge, pink lion – what next? A parrot? She held her gem hand for the puppy to sniff. Strangely, Alexandrite made sure not to lick her gems and instead licked her fingers. Ruby was in awe. Sapphire was impressed.

Pearl was a lot surprised to see the dog Steven had brought in. _She better not make a mess – Steven knows how much I hate messes…_ Pearl decided it was best to stay quiet. If she spoke a single word, she would probably say something rude – not purposely, but because it was just the way she was. It made her uncomfortable to imagine the puppy tearing apart pillowcases.

Amethyst was excited to see an animal critter in the house. They could make messes together, eat vile assortments yummy to Amethyst (such as tea bags, containers, and more!) sloppily together, and more. She smiled thinking of all the cool tricks she could teach it, especially after watching "Dog-Copter 5" with Connie and Steven. Pearl cringed at the mischievous look on Amethyst's face.

Peridot smiled at the puppy, trying to lick her jumpsuit. "Oh, this dog is so cute!" she said, smiling harder. Her first thought was to grab her tablet and take a "photo" with the dog, but she didn't want the dog eating and messing up her tablet. _Hmm, I'll have to research this animal,_ she thought, rubbing her chin. _Its diet, its natural environment, if it's a gem…_

Lapis chuckled warmly at the dog trying to eat Peridot's jumpsuit. It would be impossible for it to eat gem clothing, knowing that their clothes are literally bounded to their flesh, but it was still funny to think that it could bite off a chunk of clothing. The only thing similar to changing their clothing is to reform, or shapeshift.

As Steven brought in a heavy bag of dog supplies (from beds to rawhide chews), he thought about all the fun they were going to have. It was admittedly interesting to see the dog attempt to eat Peridot's jumpsuit uniform. _Alexandrite is going to be a good dog when she's older,_ Steven thought, sighing a bit. He wasn't sighing because of taking care of the puppy, he was only sighing because of how amazing it would be. How she could go on missions – but wait!

Maybe she could try _one_ mission. One mission won't hurt…right?

 **Thank you guys so much for reading Chapter 2. I hope you guys are ready for Chapter 3: Alexandrite's First Mission ;). Stay tuned for the next chapter! And I want to thank these following people: Lady Shadow92, flying ducks298, Regalness, nohelyhernandez672, gtyfg, Ctlead, lobalunallena, inten, General Jo, cosmicdreamer77, GloriaRose, and for other stories, Guest, phanese, LaetusLupus, and Kira Sema. Thank you guys so much for reading my stories** **J** **I hope this story isn't too rushed, I tried to slow it down a bit and go a little bit into the character's thoughts and add a bit more detail (big thanks to Lady Shadow92 for bringing that up** **J** **). I was actually in a hurry writing chapter one! See you tomorrow for Chapter 3.**


	3. Donuts for Alexandrite

**Hello guys, welcome to chapter three for Welcome Home, Little Pup!**

 **I want to give credit to Lady Shadow92 for helping me with this one ~ it honestly feels good to rewrite this chapter because I felt like I was missing something in my story.**

 **And to flying ducks298, I will consider your idea and credit you! I just have to write some chapters ahead of time, and plan it a little bit, so it'll be a little while but I promise to get to it! I'll post a sneak peek on my profile soon. It will be called:** ** _All That Glitters._**

 **Chapter four will be a long chapter of training Alexandrite, and chapter five will be Alexandrite's first mission. Just to save time, Steven and Greg finished loading the supplies back to Steven's room, and Lapis and Peri headed back to the barn.**

 **Enjoy this chapter!**

Chapter Three: Donuts for Alexandrite

Steven waved goodbye to his father. "I'll see you around!" Steven said, waving as Greg drove off. He (Steven, not Greg) headed inside the house. He had only realized it as he headed into the house; he was _starving_! He hadn't had lunch yet and it was already 3pm! "I'll just wait a little bit," he said to himself. "Alexandrite is waiting for me." He walked into the house and up to his room, where Alexandrite was curled up on the floor, sleeping peacefully and pawing the air while she dreamed. Steven chuckled to himself as he walked upstairs to get some money. _I'd better get a donut or two for Alexandrite,_ Steven thought, smiling a bit. He took two dollars and a few quarters from his wallet, stuffed the money carefully in his pocket, and went over to the curled up puppy.

"Alexandrite," Steven whispered. He gently shook her, not too hard, but as gently as possible, and the dog stood up. She barked and licked Steven's face, which made Steven giggle and he instantly felt happy. He attached a collar with Alexandrite gemstones onto Alexandrite's neck, and he made sure to make it secure but not too tight enough to choke her. He put an Alexandrite-colored leash on it. "Come on, Alex," he said, walking to the door. "After you," he said, holding the door, but Alexandrite just stood there. Amazingly, she took her paw, aimed it at Steven, and then aimed it at the open door, as if saying; _After YOU!_ Steven smiled and walked outside, but he still held the door open for his dog.

As they were heading to the big donut, Steven thought about what kind he should get. _Not chocolate – most animals are allergic. I'll get the new cinnamon-apple donuts. Cinnamon is non-toxic for dogs, horses, and cats…and I know they can eat apples…but they can't have donuts…or caffeine…luckily these donuts don't have caffeine, and they have low sugar. Maybe giving her a small piece won't hurt…I'm sure it won't. Yes! I can finally share my donuts with someone other than Amethyst!_

By the time he'd finished thinking, he was at the counter with Alexandrite, staring at all the amazing flavor varieties. Steven started to order. "May I please have two apple cinnamon donuts?" he asked nicely. "Umm, are you trying to spice your life up a bit, because you don't have any friends?" (Lame pun, I know) Lars said, bagging up the donuts. "Because if so, that's hilarious!" he started laughing hysterically, while Steven blushed in embarrassment. "Lay off!" Sadie said. "Stop, Lars!" Steven said. "I have lots of friends! Like Sadie, you, Kiki, Jenny, Kofi, Nanefua (I don't know how to spell it), the Gems…" Alexandrite interrupted him mid-sentence with a growl. She shot daggers with her eyes at Lars. Before Lars could respond, or Sadie, Buck Dewey walked into the Big Donut along with Sour Cream and Jenny Pizza. "Hey, Steven, cool dog," Buck said, giving a thumbs up. "Um, thank you," Steven said, getting some money from his pocket. "That'll be a dollar o' five, Steven," Sadie said. Steven gave her a dollar and a quarter and Sadie took it. In return, she gave him two dimes in change. "Bye, Steven!" Sadie said, waving. Buck, Jenny, and Sour Cream followed Steven, interested in the protective puppy.

Alexandrite appreciated all the extra attention. "She isn't really trained much," Steven said, "so if you'd like, you guys can help me train her." Much to Steven's surprise, they agreed to help. "Thank you guys so much!" Steven said, giving high fives to all of them. Alexandrite wagged her tail and sniffed the teenager's hands, including Steven. "She needs to recognize your scent. That's how she'll know you," Steven said, rubbing Alexandrite behind the ears. "She's adorable!" Jenny said, petting her head. "She could probably have a good taste in music," Sour Cream inferred, petting her head as well. "She's very cool," Buck said, stroking her gently behind the ears.

"Alex is a good girl," Steven said, hugging her. Alex responded with a gentle, small lick. "What's her name?" Jenny asked, looking at her dark eyes full of curiosity. "Her name is Alexandrite," Steven said. "Her name's inspired by the Crystal Gems." "That's awesome," Buck said. "Such a smart kid. What a smart dog." Alexandrite immediately widened her eyes at all the compliments. "She definitely loves attention," Steven said, chuckling. He gave her a small piece of donut and she gobbled it up immediately. It was definitely remarkable how much attention she had got in the last few minutes, but she really wanted to take a nap. So she cocked her head towards the direction of home. "I think Alexandrite is tired," Steven said, picking her up. Somehow he was able to manage a bag of donuts and a dog.

Buck, Jenny, and Sour Cream waved goodbye while Steven walked home. It was so amazing to have a puppy friend. If he hadn't found her that day none of this would have ever happened. It was amazing how one miracle directed and led towards others. Alexandrite would have such a good future, and she was going to have so much fun when Steven trained her with friends. It was so amazing to finally have lots of fun with friends and a hyper puppy tagging along. When Steven arrived home, he set Alexandrite on her bed and ate a donut, breaking small pieces off and giving them to his dog. He usually left one for Amethyst, so that's what he did. He gave Alexandrite a little dog food and some cool, refreshing water to comfort her. He took the leash and unhooked it from her collar and decided to take her outside before she took a nap. When that was done, Steven took her back inside and set her down on the bed. She yawned, and then slept away while Steven was setting up a cozy corner for her in his room.

 _Such a sweet puppy,_ Steven thought as he prepared to bring some stuff upstairs. Alex's ears were twitching and she whined and pawed the air as she dreamed. Steven brought the stuff upstairs and thirty minutes later, there was an average-sized area for her to relax in at night. "She's so nice," Steven said to himself. "Good puppy." She only barked when she was happy, or sensed danger nearby. She loved to stare at the gemstones on the Crystal Gem's bodies. A pretty, pink gemstone full of personality, a perfectly smooth and elegant pearl, a rough but amazing amethyst, and a mysterious garnet with a hint of red inside. Gems were such a fascinating species to her and Steven, but most of all, she was thankful for her new family, who loved her dearly and gave her a new home.

 **Okay guys, it's finally done! Stay tuned for chapter four, when Alexandrite gets trained.**


	4. Training Alexandrite

**Hey guys! After a small break, I am finally ready to write chapter four. A big thank-you to .94 and PrincessOfTheNight01 for liking my story, and Lady Shadow92 for helping me a bit on this chapter! As for you, flying ducks298, I am still working on the story you requested – hopefully the first chapter will be up soon! Onto the story ~.**

Chapter Four: Training Alexandrite

After doing quite a bit of research, Steven was sure he was ready to train Alexandrite. He knew he had to train her somehow, and eventually. He had ordered a dog training book from Glamazon, and he had got some treats to reward the puppy with when she correctly followed a trick. Now he was gathering a jar of treats along with a training book. It was time to get started training.

"Alexandrite," Steven called. He sat on the couch, waiting for a response. A few seconds later, he saw a puppy bounding toward him. Her ears flopped as she ran, and Steven couldn't keep himself from laughing. When she reached him, Steven giggled and gave her a small pat on the head. "Alright," Steven said, smoothing out the book. He set it down and the jar of treats next to him. "Today I am going to train you!" Alexandrite smiled a goofy, doggie grin and drooled as she eyed the treats. _Time to train her how to sit,_ Steven thought.

"I am going to teach you how to sit," Steven said, and while carrying the jar and training book with him, he walked over to her and sat down on his knees. "To sit down, you will push your rear end to the ground, like this. Sit!" He gently pushed her bottom to the floor, making her in a sitting position. "Okay," Steven said, "that was practice, so you'll get a small treat." He gave a small piece to Alexandrite. She gobbled it quickly, and Steven could tell she loved the treats.

Before he could continue training Alex, Pearl walked out of the Temple door, smiling at Steven. Surely she didn't really approve of having a pet idea as much as Garnet or Amethyst, but it was sweet to her to see them bonding together and training. "Hello, Steven," she said, smiling a bit harder. "Would you like help training?" "Sure!" Steven said. "Please." Pearl nodded and joined him, sitting next to him. "OK, Steven, what trick are you teaching her?" Pearl asked. "Well," Steven said, "she's just learning how to sit. I'm trying to teach her how to come to me, too, but that's for later." "Alright," Pearl said, smiling at the eager little puppy. As soon as it smiled back at her with heart-melting eyes full of curiosity, her heart might have as well shattered in many pieces.

Steven found it very amazing how fast Pearl bonded with Alexandrite. He was very proud of her, too, and it was simply heart-melting to see bonding between a human being (or gem in this case) and an animal. "OK, Pearl, just tell her to sit, and if she sits, you give her a treat. But if she doesn't, try helping her, like this." Steven gently pushed her bottom to the floor, making her in a sitting position once again. "Wanna try?" "Sure," Pearl said, smiling nervously at him. She didn't have much experience with animals, other than seagulls, but it was worth trying.

"Sit," Pearl said softly. Alexandrite wagged her tail, but she didn't sit. Pearl tried helping her, doing it the same way as Steven had done. "Good!" she said. "Sit," she said once again. Alexandrite wagged her tail harder, and sat down. "Good girl!" she said, stroking her ears. While she opened the jar, she glanced at Steven, who was giving her a thumbs up. She held a treat in one hand and the closed the jar with the other. "Here you go, Alex," Pearl said. She suddenly blushed when she realized what she had called the dog. But Alexandrite just barked happily and accepted the treat, licking Pearl's fingers in the process. Even though Pearl had cringed a bit from the saliva, she took it as a compliment and buried her face in the dog's fur.

Steven was more than pleased to see what was happening before him. It was quite pleasing and heart-melting at the same time. The dog was trying to lick Pearl even more. It seemed as if Alex liked Pearl immediately. Steven tried joining in the hug, and thankfully it worked. They looked like a happy family, and it was such a sweet sight, you would tear up. "I love you so much," Steven told Pearl and Alexandrite. Pearl blushed, Steven blushed, and even Alexandrite looked as if she blushed as well. "I love you so much too," Pearl said, feeling as if she couldn't breathe (I know gems don't need air but this would sound great to put in with the emotion going on in the story). Her voice sounded muffled as she spoke, but only because her face was buried in the dog's fluffy fur. Alexandrite barked, and it sounded like as if she said, "I wuv you so much too!" She suddenly lifted her head from Alexandrite's golden fur, and smiled sweetly at Steven and Alex. "I think maybe we could teach her some more tricks."

The next day, Steven and Pearl met again, to try to train Alex how to come to them. It was very easy to teach her. Each time one of them said "COME!", the next thing they would see is a fluffy puppy running towards them, looking as if she had felt free after World War II, and they would instantly be knocked down by the strong dog. Alexandrite licked their faces, and even though Pearl admitted to herself it was a little gross, it felt like such an honor to work with an animal and her baby (nickname for Steven). Pearl laughed alongside Steven, and Alexandrite was barking, as if laughing too. Alexandrite smiled at them.

Ever since then, Pearl had been training Alex to do many things.

 **It's finally done! I hope you guys enjoyed it – there will definitely be more gem and puppy bonding ;), but I must ask you an important question – should I write a chapter where the Gems and Steven housebreak Alexandrite? I think I might, for chapter five, but please tell me what you guys think. I'll see you again when I update chapter five!**


	5. Housebreaking Alexandrite

**Hello, guys! I decided to update twice today because I took a break (^.^) Welcome to chapter five of "Welcome Home, Little Pup". In this chapter the Gems and Steven try to fully housebreak her. Enjoy! Onto the story ~.**

 **WARNING: CONTAINS "BATHROOM" MATERIAL (DEFECATION, URINATING)**

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Chapter Five: Housebreaking Alex

Even though Pearl and Alexandrite had done training, there was one type of training they hadn't done…housebreaking. Now, Steven made sure to let her outside every two hours and after meals, but sometimes he would forget or not have time because he was setting up a backyard for her in Rose's Room. The Gems wouldn't help much, either. So, as a result, they often found random wet spots in some areas, and that made Pearl mad. One time, Steven was making a backyard in Rose's room for Alex, when Pearl knocked on the door. He exited the room, and smiled sweetly at Pearl. "Yes, Pearl?" he asked. Pearl couldn't resist smiling back at the sweet boy, but she had to tell him about the puppy's accidents. "Alex had an accident on the couch cushions," she said, face palming her forehead. Steven looked shocked. "I'm sorry," he said. "I'll call a meeting with the rest of the gems."

So that's what he did. He sat on the couch with Alexandrite sleeping on his lap, and waited patiently until Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl arrived. Once they did, they greeted him calmly and joined him on the couch. "Okay, guys," Steven said, "I'd like to tell you about a reoccurring issue with Alexandrite." He patted her head as she slept. "So, as you may know, dogs have to be let outside every now and then. But when I'm not always there to take her outside, she decides to go in the house and use the bathroom in various places. When that happens, you need to discipline her, and you need to help time every two hours, so you can come get me or feel free to take her outside yourself. If she has to defecate, you need to clean it up and wash your hands afterwards, and as for urinate you don't need to clean it up. Got it?"

The Gems were very silent. Even though this was an important topic, they were not sure how to respond. Pearl tried not to look disgusted but her queasiness (from thinking about it) resulted in a really noticeable cringe. Garnet didn't show a sign of hesitation, luckily. She had a reply that needed to be said. "Of course, Steven," she said, smiling. Amethyst didn't mind, as long as she got to play with Alex. Pearl hesitated but she had to respond eventually – she knew very well it was rude to keep someone waiting for a response. "Um, yes, Steven," she said, forcing herself to smile. "Sure," Amethyst said, shrugging.

"ONE more thing," Steven said, "you must make sure she KNOWS not to do it, and you need to pay attention closely to see if she has a way to tell us." "We can do that, Steven," Garnet said, adjusting her visors, "whether we like it or not." "Thank you so much," Steven said, giving a thumbs-up. "This means a lot to me and Alexandrite." With her name being said, Alex immediately woke up. She wagged her tail and panted really hard.

Ever since then, the weeks have been mostly housebreaking Alex, cleaning up her messes, and teaching her how to communicate with them telling them she had to use the bathroom (like standing next to the door and barking). It was quite easy to latch onto Steven's advice and train the dog. With the help of the gems, and Steven, she was now housebroken. Steven set out urine pads for Alex to use if they had to go on a really long mission, or visit the barn. Maybe sometime they would bring Alex with them *wink, wink*.

There would be times where Alex missed her aim for the urine pads, so there would be a mess on the floor. Other than this, there wouldn't be a time where she had to be house trained again, except for when she grew older and lost control of her bowels. She felt confident, and if she didn't have an accident that day she would get an extra treat and a nice, thick bone or a rawhide chew.

It was a good thing Alexandrite felt confident because soon they would go on missions. Hopefully she wouldn't need to defecate on missions because they were sure if other gems visited that area they would see it, so they would need to bring along bags to clean it up and hand sanitizer to wash hands. It made perfect sense, right? Yep. The gems and Steven could now avoid being helpless with Alexandrite's bathroom options, and of course they could order something else to bribe her with if she continued to be good with using the bathroom.

"You did it!" Steven said once, when Alex had used the bathroom outside and NOT in the house.

The gems had different ways of rewarding her – Garnet would give her a NOOGIE (rub on the head but in this case, gentle, and I think that's what it's called) and use her free time to play with her. Amethyst would give her extra food, of course. Pearl would give her more breaks during training, and she would give her a **(SPOILER ALERT)** Pearl Point.

 **(SPOILER ALERT GONE)** As Alexandrite ate her dinner and drank some water, she thought about how much she succeeded. Even housebreaking your pup can be fun when you bond so much with your dog, and who knew it could be exciting to teach your dog _that_?

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 **I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter! Sorry if it was a little gross, I tried to sound as mature as possible! Now, I hope you guys are ready for Alexandrite's first mission!**


	6. Alexandrite's First Mission!

**Hello guys, and please enjoy chapter six. I hope you're all ready for Alexandrite's first mission! Also, I saw all the new episodes that aired in my area, hmm, okay…I'm not sure if this chapter takes place before or after the episodes…a big thanks to ChocolateBar2013 and Animebinge... I have a big profile update, so check my profile! Onto the story ~.**

Chapter Six: Alexandrite's First Mission

"Steven, we're going to go on a mission," Garnet said, giving Alexandrite a pat. "Maybe, if Alexandrite is aggressive toward corrupted gems, we can warp to the located area and bring her with us."

"WOW!" Steven said, making star-shaped pupils. He grabbed the warp whistle Amethyst plunked onto the counter earlier, and attached it to the dog's Alexandrite-spiked collar (collar covered with Alexandrite gemstones). "Great," Steven said. "So if she gets hurt, she knows she's smart enough to warp back here to recover." He was right. Ever since he had found Alexandrite, he knew she would be a very smart puppy.

"Okay, Garnet, we're ready," Pearl said, rushing to the warp pad. Garnet walked over to the warp, and Amethyst, who had been shifting through the fridge, went to join them. Steven smiled, picked up Alexandrite, quickly fed her some dog food and water, and headed to the warp pad. He set Alexandrite down. When the warp pad activated, Alexandrite seemed fascinated at the usual, comforting blue glow and the fragile, blue gem-material (?) that made the warp pad. When they arrived to the area, Alexandrite was levitating for a few seconds, and landed gently. She made sure to keep proper balance – she had seen when Onion tried using the warp pad with Steven when she was still a stray, but she was hiding.

The area was a sparkly beach area called "Mask Island". They had discovered a new warp pad (not canon to the show, though), but that isn't the point. They had come to search for corrupted gems and Jasper. _We probably won't be finding Jasper again anytime soon,_ Steven thought with a head shake of disapproval. "Alexandrite-" he was interrupted by the noise of Alexandrite barking. She took off sniffing where there were big, sloppy footprints. _That might be a corrupted gem,_ thought Steven. Pearl was very nervous. She didn't want Steven or the puppy to get hurt by the gem monster. She glanced nervously at Alexandrite, who was trotting slowly down a trail of the footprints, sniffing. The Crystal Gems and Steven decided to follow her. Maybe her knowledge and sniffing would take them somewhere.

The inference drawn was right! They saw a corrupted Ocean Jasper, pawing at the sand fearfully. It growled and roared and whimpered. It hurt Steven to see gems suffer, especially corrupted gems like this one. The Jasper had fear written all over its face, and it made Steven ache. It must have ached Alex, too, because Steven saw Alex running towards the corrupted beast, and when the Jasper noticed Alex, it went running towards her. Alex yelped in fear and ran towards Steven. Even if it didn't seem right, they had no choice but to bubble the Jasper.

Alex had a very good memory, so luckily she remembered the training process with Pearl, so she went towards the gem and bit its gemstone (which was placed on its chest), and it poofed instantly. The gemstone rolled across the floor, and Alex immediately equipped the gem in her mouth. She bounded towards Steven. Before he could bubble it, he noticed a small, sparkling green and red bubble around it. It was only slightly visible through the sunshine color palette. He looked amazed. _Could Alexandrite bubble gems?_ And if so, how was that possible?

 **I hope you enjoyed this chapter, guys! I know it was short but this seemed to be a good point to end at. I hope you guys liked it! The next chapter will be much longer, and don't worry; this story will be very long! The next chapter will be Amethyst bonding with the puppy, and I'm not sure for the rest, but Garnet bonding with the puppy will be the last gem bonding story (I'll include humans bonding too, like Connie, etc.), and then Sour Cream, Buck Dewey, and Jenny Pizza will be training the dog so she can become better at doing tricks. This story will be so much fun for you guys! I'm planning to update "Icy Nights", and then "All That Glitters", so stay tuned! Also, I'm sorry if these chapters are short, they will DEFINITELY be longer next time!**


	7. Bonding With Amethyst

**Hello guys, and welcome back to my story. Please enjoy this chapter! You are going to LOVE it. I'm going to try a new format, so tell me if you like it or not! If you do, I will keep doing it for a while. If you don't, I won't be doing it for a while! NOTE: Please note that I am trying to give this chapter a little lazy feeling while you read it due to what happens later farther in. Onto the story ~. THERE WILL BE A SECRET THING IN THE CHAPTER TITLE. SEE IF YOU CAN FIND IT, AND COMMENT IT IN YOUR REVIEW AS WELL.**

Chapter Steven: Bonding with Amethyst

Amethyst was very excited.

Today was the day she had to just herself and Alexandrite. It would be the day nobody would forget. It would be an awesome day where they would bond happily and live in peace together. She was very nervous but excited.

How good was it to talk to Pearl about it first? She figured it would be better for her because Pearl was very smart and had a very good taste in answering questions and giving advice.

Amethyst ran towards the Temple door, and when she arrived, Garnet was on the couch. Pearl was nowhere to be seen, so Amethyst figured she was probably over in her room, mooning over Rose Quartz – but she could be wrong.

Garnet noticed Amethyst coming by. "Hello, Amethyst," she said calmly. "Yo," Amethyst replied softly.

Garnet could sense that Amethyst was looking for Pearl because it was obvious – if Amethyst was looking for Garnet, then wouldn't she have told Garnet right away?

"Pearl's busy right now," Garnet said, adjusting her visors, "so if you have a question, feel free to ask me."

Amethyst was very nervous.

She didn't usually talk to Garnet much, so it was hard to ask her questions as important as these. She hesitated a bit but finally got the courage to ask the question that was fizzing up inside her.

"Um, can you tell me about bonding?" Amethyst asked, feeling suddenly shy. It was so out of character for the loud but fun Amethyst to be shy.

Garnet was surprised, but Amethyst couldn't tell. "Well," Garnet started, "bonding is a true sign of love. When you bond with someone, it means the person or people you have bonded with are bounded to you with a strong feeling a love. It is a feeling everybody should feel, and it is a feeling nobody should forget. When Ruby and Sapphire first met, they had bonded with each other and their love started building me. Without love, I would not exist."

Amethyst was in awe.

She had noticed that Garnet had done all that truthful speaking just to advise her like a true leader. A true friend. A true Crystal Gem…

She gave Garnet a huge hug. She couldn't tell if Garnet was surprised or not, but she didn't want to give Garnet too much affection due to accidental fusion of Sugilite. Once they are together, they are hard to separate apart…

Amethyst picked up Alexandrite and headed to her room by using her gem glow to open the Temple door. The day would be so exciting for her to bond with Alexandrite. Love is such an amazing feeling that everybody should experience, just as Garnet had mentioned in her short but wise speech.

Alexandrite yelped in excitement. She could barely wait to start becoming friends with Amethyst. Amethyst had done truly remarkable things, like turn into animals or stretch her limbs really far.

When Amethyst arrived to her room, Alexandrite looked really excited. There was so much junk in there! It was a dog's dream to see all the gorgeous treasures waiting for them in Amethyst's room.

Amethyst kissed Alexandrite on the head. Alex looked happy to know that Amethyst loved her, so she responded with a gentle lick.

Alex decided to sniff around a little bit. She wanted to find some food. Of course there would be food in Amethyst's room, but Alex didn't know that until this happened.

Amethyst knew dogs had to stay fit. She still gave Alex a little junk food once in a while, but she had to make sure it was still edible for creatures like the dog.

Amethyst searched for a good dog food. When she found the extra dog food bowl, she put some dog-friendly pastries in there. Alex, of course, gobbled it up greedily.

After giving Alex some water, they began to start playing.

First of all, they played tug-of-war with Pearl's wand (just another duplicator wand she had found).

Surprisingly, Alexandrite won.

That was a surprise to Amethyst because due to being a gem, she had a lot more gem strength than the average human.

She had super human strength.

Steven did, too.

Every gem has their abilities, weaknesses, and flaws, but a lot of them were made strong.

Alexandrite barked in excitement because she was having fun.

Amethyst gave her a supportive smile.

What to do next?

* * *

Alexandrite jumped in the last chair. Amethyst groaned because she lost at their little game of _Musical Chairs_ , but still gave Alex a supportive, inspiring, heartwarming smile.

Alexandrite licked Amethyst's hand.

It was such an amazing thing to see. It was a very heartwarming thing to see. They had only done two activities together, yet they already had such a strong bond.

Who knew a strong bond could make life so good?

Amethyst headed to Garnet to tell her the good news.

"What is it, Amethyst?" Garnet asked, removing her visors. They disappeared similar to dust particles in the wind.

"G, I don't think you can break our bond…" Amethyst said.

"Well, what did you do?" Garnet asked, her three eyes kindly peering at Amethyst.

"We bonded by doing two activities…."

"Well, Amethyst, that's great!"

"I guess…"

"You did such a good job, Amethyst. I'm really proud of you."

 **Thank you for reading this chapter! Stay tuned for chapter eight, when Garnet bonds with Alex :3**


	8. Garnet's Love for Alex

**Welcome to chapter eight, when Garnet bonds with Alex! I'm so sorry for not updating in a while, but I decided to go on a short hiatus due to writer's block. Anyways, I'm going to be writing a lot today. Enjoy! Onto the story ~**

Chapter Eight: Garnet's Love for Alex

Garnet sighed. Today had been a very long day, and it was very frustrating. Peridot had an idea to install free Wi-Fi into the barn, and being the leader fusion she is, she had to install it herself. Pearl could've installed it, but since she was busy helping with supplies for Alex, Garnet had no choice but to do it. There the cable box sat on the roof. "Wow, thanks!" Peridot said. "Now I can FaceTime Amethyst and update CHEEPER – I-I mean now I can research stuff!" She blushed profusely while Garnet and Lapis giggled. Lapis smiled. Now, Garnet glanced at a miniature bed in the corner. It was Alexandrite's naptime bed. There had been separate beds, and it was a bit weird because in Garnet's opinion there should just only be one bed. While she was thinking hardly, she heard a small yip. Garnet could feel tiny scratches against her leg, and when she turned around, she saw Alex whimpering playfully. Garnet scratched behind Alex's ears. "Aren't you a cute one," Garnet said playfully. She meant it, too.

It was almost dinnertime. Nobody even ate dinner most of the time. The only beings engaged in this ritual were Steven and sometimes Amethyst. Since Alex was now a member of the family, she always took the tasty various scraps. Sometimes, even though Pearl didn't approve of the choice, Garnet secretly made extra for Alex on purpose. As a result, Alex had loads of energy. Sometimes she would have a crazed look in her eyes while frolicking around, and it was quite funny. Sometimes Steven would film it and post it on TubeTube. Day after day he would get lots of likes and subscribers. It was worth it. Alex was a huge superstar. Day after day, Steven would think to himself: _Adopting Alex wasn't a mistake._ It was such a good choice, and if Alex died of any cause, none of this would have ever happened. Alex was such a big joy in life. Garnet hugely agreed.

Alex barked. Her adorable bark made Garnet smile. Only today she realized how wonderful, cute, and intelligent Alex was. If Alex was a human or gem, or both for that matter, Garnet was sure they'd get along perfectly. Softly, she began to sing. "Here comes a thought…" Alex listened with depth and interest. Garnet's singing was so lovely and relaxing. Chilling, even, but not in a spooky way. Her soft, beautiful voice made Alex sleepy. She whined and crawled over to the bed, slouching over. Garnet giggled. "I guess you should take a nap, then," she said. "Starting today you're going to get daily lullabies." Suddenly, there was a huge flash, and in Garnet's place stood two short red and blue gems. Alex looked confused at first, but then suddenly she looked as if she was used to fusion her whole life. The short red gem stepped towards the small puppy. "Hey," she said, "I'm Ruby! And this is Sapphire!" Said blue gem stepped right next to Ruby. "I'm Sapphire," she said. Alex sniffed both their hands. They each had a gem on their opposite hand. It seemed as if Alex was starting to get it. "You're such a good girl," said Ruby, offering a big smile. "You're a beautiful dog," Sapphire said. Alexandrite barked adorably, and her tail started to wag. Sapphire and Ruby both laughed. The short blue gem started to spread apart her bangs, and then a beautiful, curious eye was revealed. Alex looked as if she was used to it. Sapphire smiled.

Ruby gave Sapphire a quick smooch, and then gave Alex a hug and kiss. "Steven, Amethyst, and Pearl could get back anytime! We have to leave, but we promise to have a full day with you," Sapphire said. She gave Ruby a kiss, then Alex a kiss. "It was nice meeting you as us. We can't wait to see you again!" Sapphire said, smiling warmly. Sapphire and Ruby began to dance. It was very light-hearted and elegant, and it was such a strong sign of a healthy relationship. There was a big white flash, and Garnet stood in place. She ruffled the puppy's fur on top of her head. "You're such a cutie," she said, smiling. It was true. There was another huge sound.

Luckily it was just Amethyst opening the door. "Hey!" she said, "I saw a huge flash coming out of here! Are you guys okay?" "Yes," Garnet said, adjusting her visors. "Yes we are." She quickly removed her visors, and before putting them back on, she gave Alex a friendly wink.

 **Sorry for the short chapter, but I hope you guys enjoyed it! Stay tuned for the next one! Sorry that I sort of died on here…but I am working on Icy Nights next. I can't wait!**


	9. A Day With Ruby and Sapphire Part 1

**Welcome back, everyone! Due to me being focused on other stories, this one hasn't been updated for a month! I'm going to try to make this a long chapter, but it really depends on my mood. UPDATE: Writer's block...I'm trying to write other stories too! Some haven't been updated in quite a long time! Let's get onto the story!**

Chapter Nine: A Day with Ruby and Sapphire Part 1

Just as promised, Alex was going to be rewarded a day with her favorite red and blue cuties. The promise wouldn't be broken, of course, but Garnet wouldn't tell anybody. It all started in the morning. "I have some very important business to take care of in town and the Temple burning room, and I would like you to not bother me," Garnet told Lapis, Peridot, Pearl, Amethyst, Connie, and Steven. They all nodded. Alex barked eagerly. "You can come with me," Garnet said, adjusting her visors. "I wouldn't mind a little company." "She's a handful," Steven said tiredly. "Well, after all, I do have two," Garnet said, shrugging. Connie and Steven secretly chanted "FUSION JOKE!" over and over. Alexandrite was extremely interested, and cocked an ear to listen to their cheer. "Come on, cutie!" Garnet chanted in one of her sweet moods. Alex obediently hopped over, and Garnet headed towards the Temple burning room. When they were safely inside with nobody else, Garnet immediately unfused. Two red and blue gems appeared in her place.

"Hello, beautiful," Sapphire greeted Alex. Alexandrite gave her gem a huge lick, and Sapphire giggled. "My blue raspberry Laughy Sapphy!" Ruby shouted. "Look at how beautiful our puppy is!" "She is adorable," Sapphire giggled. "What would you like to do today, sweetie?" "Would you like to play ball? Fetch? I don't know, human and dog things!" Ruby said nervously. "Ruby, babe, don't worry! You sound like a human…expert!" Sapphire said thoughtfully. "Just…try not to fuse until midnight…" Ruby mumbled. _They really are the number one couple, aren't they?_ Alexandrite thought, watching them kiss. "Well, she wants attention too!" Ruby said, and rushed over to Alex. Sapphire shortly joined them, and that made Alex excited. "What should we do, sweetie?" Sapphire asked Alex.

Alex ran out of the Temple room unexpectedly and ran towards Funland. Ruby and Sapphire quickly chased after her. "Wait up!" Ruby said.

 **Sorry for the super short chapter! I just really want to get other stories done! The next chapter will be longer, I promise! Also, I hope this builds suspicion ;)**


	10. A Day With Ruby and Sapphire Part 2

**After a very long time of no updating, welcome back! I hope the wait made you suspicious hehe. Onto the story ~**

Chapter Ten: A Day with Ruby and Sapphire Part 2

Once Ruby and Sapphire caught up with the surprisingly energetic and crazy puppy, they looked around for fun things to do. What else could be there to do? "What do you think she wants to do?" Ruby asked, looking at Alex dancing around. "Well, let's see," Sapphire said. "According to Steven, she does like to move around." They admired her endless amount of energy. "Meat Beat Mania 2k16?" Ruby suggested as they walked past the game. "No," Sapphire said, gently. "You were so addicted to that game…it honestly isn't good for us." " _Me?_ More like _you_ ," Ruby said with a tease tone decorating her voice. Alexandrite interrupted their conversation with a bark of impatience. "Well, what else could we do? Enter her in a dog pageant or something?" Ruby joked. Right as she said that, a nearby attraction caught their attention and read, _"Dog Pageant, enter your pooch today!"_ "Well, as much as I want to, I don't think we should," Sapphire stammered, using her future vision. In the plausible future Alex had won third place, and Ruby got upset (because she won third but not first) and burned the modeling area.

Alex grew even more impatient and tugged on her leash. "Look, there's a dog park nearby," Ruby said. "Well, let's go!" Sapphire said in glee, and the trio ran to the park. There were tons of Dalmatians, French bull dogs, pit bulls, pugs, beagles, and more, but every dog was interested in Alex. Even passerby was fascinated by her behaviors. "She's way more obedient than any dog I've seen, even my own," admired a dog owner a while ago on Alex's training sessions outside. "I've never seen a dog behave that well." On those days when Alex had a ton of energy, she played around and never got tired.

She lay on the grass, suddenly tired. "Inevitable, huh?" Sapphire said. Alex just sat tired, enjoying all the attention. Puppies crawled on top of her, puppies admired her, puppies tried to play with her. Alex seemed like she was an adult right at that moment. Then, she stood up, letting the puppies gently fall from her, and was ready to leave.

"Well, let's go home, before anybody else gets suspicious," Ruby said. The trio quickly rushed to the Temple, entered the burning room, and Alex tiredly watched Ruby and Sapphire fuse. Garnet rubbed Alex's head, excited the burning room, put her gently on her bed, and watched Alex dream of treats and running.

 **Sorry that the chapter was so short. I'm not very good writing in Ruby and Sapphire's character. Thanks though, and prepare for another chapter coming VERY soon!**


	11. Connie Meets Alex

**Welcome back, friends. I haven't updated in ages. But don't worry, this story isn't dead.**

Chapter Eleven: Connie Meets Alex

Steven and Amethyst and Pearl (except Garnet) arrived in the Temple's house. Lapis and Peridot had rushed along home. Garnet sat on the couch, watching Alexandrite doze off nearby.

"We just visited Greg," Pearl said. "That sounds nice," Garnet said. Steven began to leave the Temple.

"I'm inviting Connie over," he said, and with Lion they both teleported into fuzzy static, riding to the Maheswaran's household.

Once they appeared by the door, Steven rang the doorbell, and Priyanka, Connie's mother, answered the door.

"Hello, Steven. How are you?" she asked calmly.

"I'm doing well, how about you?"

"Good, thank you. Connie's almost ready." Right as she said that Connie came downstairs and gave her mother a hug.

"See you soon, Mom," she said, and Priyanka hugged back. "Okay, dear, be back by seven," she said.

Connie hopped onto Lion and rode back to the Temple with Steven.

When they entered the household, Lion immediately hurried into Steven's room and took a nap.

Alexandrite woke up, noticed Connie, and ran to give her some affection.

Connie gasped. "You have a dog?!" she said, and immediately returned the favor by petting Alexandrite gently. "Yes," Steven said. "I found her abandoned by the road and saved her, and now she's a permanent member of the family."

"What's the cutie's name?"

"Alexandrite."

"Aw, that's unique," Connie said.

Alexandrite seemed to immediately love Connie. "She's very well trained, but there are a few things she can't do," Steven said.

"I would love to help her master them."

"Would you love to pet sit occasionally?" Steven asked.

"Sure, if it's alright with Mom," Connie said.

"I'm not letting Lapis and Peridot watch her for a while," Steven said.

"May I ask why?" Connie said. "Well, sure. The last time they watched her, she returned wearing Camp Pining Hearts wigs and costumes."

"Really? They must really like that show," Connie muttered.

"They do," Steven muttered in response.

Alexandrite waited impatiently to do something fun. She was bored. She barked loudly, grabbing Connie and Steven's attention.

"What does she want?" Connie asked curiously, looking at the puppy rolling around.

"She probably wants us to watch television with her," Steven replied, shrugging. He honestly didn't know what the puppy wanted, but he knew she liked TV.

"How about we watch Under the Knife?" Connie suggested eagerly. It'd been a while since they'd watched the amazing series, even though Steven had been grounded from TV a little more than a year ago (he was currently ungrounded, you can say).

They went up to his room with Alex and killed time by watching the show for about half an hour. "That was an amazing season finale," Connie murmured.

Steven nodded in agreement. Even Alex seemed to agree.

"Well, what do you wanna do now?" Steven asked Connie.

"Well, we have to train with Pearl now, actually," Connie said. "We have to review what we've learned as Stevonnie." "Well, let's go!" Steven said, and he picked up Alex and chased Connie to the warp pad.

When they arrived to the Sky Arena, they met Garnet and Pearl who were sitting nearby.

"Should she join the training session?" Steven asked. "Well, I don't mind," Connie said.

Alexandrite after all was very impressive in her training, Pearl had realized. While training her on those many previous days, she had unlocked many new abilities (with the encouragement of Garnet and Steven).

"Is she a beginner?" Connie asked Pearl. The puppy bounced around Connie while barking in fascination.

"Not really, she has mastered some impressive skills…" Pearl answered.

"Show us what you got," Garnet told Alex.

After an exhausting training montage against a Holo-Pearl, Alex plopped onto the floor.

"Well, now that she's sleepy, I guess we'll have to train later," Connie said. "However, she's really impressive. I'll consider her as a battling partner along with me and Steven."

She loved Alex's skills, but she didn't want to accidentally strike her while battling. As they continued to train and fight, their skills improved even more.

They didn't need to worry about their anxiety issues when training as Stevonnie, either, since they had already handled the situation with Garnet and meditation.

"I think that's enough training for today," Pearl said. "You two seem very tired." And they were. Well, after Alex's rest, they mostly played with her and she just napped more.

"I bet she'd get along with Pumpkin," Steven snickered, and Connie rolled her eyes playfully (AKA not rudely, don't be disgusting) and smiled.

 **Sorry for the short chapter. But I'm ready to write the next one. See ya!**


	12. Costume Mania with the Troublesome Two

**Welcome back, friends. I'm gonna try to make this as long as I can to make up for no updates.**

Chapter Twelve: Costume Mania with the Troublesome Two (aka why Lapis and Peridot can no longer watch Alex)

Steven and the Gems were going to be very busy that afternoon. Between four missions, they didn't think they would be up to watching a puppy. Lapis and Peridot offered to look after her.

"Be VERY careful with her," Steven had instructed them. "If you need anything, text Connie. She could probably help."

Alexandrite sat in front of Lapis and Peridot's TV, seemingly interested in what was playing while Lapis and Peridot were sitting on their new sofa. Camp Pining Hearts wasn't on just yet, but there were advertisements of steak restaurants playing.

"I don't know how she can stand to watch this garbage," Peridot said impressively. "I mean, I don't like food. But she's so interested."

"Well, it would make sense," Lapis commented while reading a book titled _"All About Dogs"_. Steven had let them borrow his copy.

"Keep researching," Peridot said. "I may as well." Before she could start Googling anything, Alexandrite had bounded into her lap, knocking the tablet away from her hands. She gave Peridot a friendly lick.

Lapis just laughed, and Peridot groaned in response.

"What kinds of things do they like to do?" Peridot asked, staring at Alex. "Well, they love to get exercise, and play." Lapis smiled at the puppy.

Alex sighed, and plopped herself onto the ground. Peridot grabbed her tablet and took a photo of Alex. "Do you know what would be a great idea?" Peridot asked Lapis, stroking Alex's head gently.

"What?" Lapis replied absentmindedly.

"A fashion show…with pictures!" Peridot squealed.

"Isn't that a bit girly?" Lapis responded.

"Well, maybe a bit too much for my taste. But imagine how cute it would be."

"Hmm, well, try it then."

Peridot began to dig in the craft box they'd received from Pearl. She dug out sewing needles, a sewing machine, handfuls of fabric, markers and sharpies, pencils and measuring tools, little wigs and little dresses.

"Where'd you get THOSE?" Lapis squinted at the little dresses. She did not recall Pearl giving them little dresses.

"Don't worry about it," Peridot said, smiling. "It's fashionista time, baby!"

Lapis cringed slightly, but then slid a bookmark into her book and set it down to join her. Tons of costume materials were sprawled all over the floor, where Alex had been sitting.

Right as they got started decorating the wigs and little dresses and cloths, Camp Pining Hearts suddenly came on TV. They basically combined the design of the outfits belonging to Percy and Pierre, which Peridot had kept Lapis up all night ranting about.

Alex sat patiently while they measured, sewed and sketched. In the end, she looked like a huge mess. It was indescribable.

Peridot snapped about fifty pictures and uploaded them to her PicTalk, which had gotten a lot of views.

Hours later, when Steven arrived to pick Alex up, he marveled at the mess they had made. He stared at Alex's new look.

"Thanks for watching her, you guys," Steven said. "I wish I could give you both something in return." "We don't need anything, thank you, Steven," Lapis said sweetly. "Do you want your book back?"

"Only if you've finished it. Don't worry if you didn't, return it when you can." He smiled at them, but he just couldn't keep his eyes off of Alex's…look.

"Do you want your wigs and little outfits back, before I leave…?" he asked awkwardly. "She can keep them!" Peridot replied cheerfully.

"Okay!" Steven replied, and then walked Alex back to the Temple.

When he got inside, Alex had been quite the show. Pearl and Garnet could only stare and blubber a bit, and Amethyst was so into it, that she gave Alex accessories. Steven just laughed a bit, and then got Alex out of her outfit.

And that is why Lapis and Peridot can't watch Alex anytime soon.


	13. Alex on the Run

**Guys! I am sorry for the hiatus, I am sorry for the short chapter, and I'm sorry to announce that this story is coming to an end. Few chapters left, yes. But it will soon be over ~**

Chapter Thirteen: Alex on the Run

Alexandrite was a very mischievous puppy, and as a result she was always getting distracted and going certain places. The Gems tried to break her of the habit but unfortunately it was still stuck with her.

One warm morning after her breakfast, while Steven was asleep and the Gems were doing their own thing, she decided to go outside. Now, how would she get out there? She stood on her hind legs and attempted to open the door. She got it slightly open when she attempted to move her head to open it more.

She ran out on the beach, barking and yipping and running around. The warm sunlight soothed her as she excitedly ran by the waves. She watched them crash in and out; creating sea foam that bubbled as it tickled her toes and go back and forth.

She tried swimming, but that didn't go very well. She decided that even though she would get sandy paws, it was still worth playing and running in the sand. It entertained her even in the slightest. She was super happy.

She decided to run off where her little nose left her. She ran towards the smell of donuts baking, which was wonderful and tickled her nose. She happily trotted until she spotted the building with the giant donut on the roof.

She headed through the door and the bell softly rung.

Steven was in panic. Alex was missing! Pearl had fed her, so they had thought that Alex would be usually curled up at the end of Steven's bed. But it was so strange. The puppy usually knew not to run away, or at the very least, get out without someone going with her.

As he continuously made calls, he learned that Connie hadn't seen her, neither had Onion, or Lapis and Peridot. He began to lose hope just until he got a call from Sadie. He quickly slid for "ANSWER" and held the cell up to his ear. "What's up?" he asked as he panicked.

"Your dog walked in! I'm glad she's okay," Sadie replied. "I'll make sure she doesn't escape, but you can come here to pick her up."

"Yes, I'm on my way," he replied as he wiped tears of relief from his eyes. He hung up, stuffed his cell in his pocket and he set off running to the Big Donut like there was no tomorrow.


End file.
